SGSR Appeals For Safe Passage Of ‎Humanitarian Relief For Somalia

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Nairobi, December 14 2005 (UNPOS) – The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia (SRSG), Francois Lonseny Fall, warned today that insecurity was blocking deliveries of humanitarian relief and jeopardizing the lives of people in urgent need of assistance.

“I could not stress enough the need and the urgency to provide a safe operating space for humanitarian agencies to reach these people,” he told an international audience gathered for the launch of the 2006 inter-agency Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) for Somalia . According to this year’s CAP estimates, one million Somalis are in need of urgent assistance and protection, mostly in the South/Central part of the country.

Ambassador Fall said that safe access for humanitarian workers and critically needed supplies was the most immediate challenge to the survival of vulnerable Somali populations today.

“The independence and impartiality of humanitarian work must be respected by all actors at all times,” he said. “Humanitarian assistance should not and must not be allowed to be held hostage to military, political or individual agendas. The killings of four Somali national aid workers in 2005 are blatant crimes which need to be condemned in the strongest terms. Measures must be taken to make sure there is no impunity for those who commit murder and an environment needs to be created to avoid its recurrence.”

Ambassador Fall said the unprecedented rise of piracy off Somalia’s coastline must also be stopped. “Not only has this directly affected the provision of humanitarian assistance at times, it has also impacted on the availability of fuel in south Somalia, directly affecting the humanitarian flights into the area. I call on the Somali Transitional Federal Government and international community to find ways to provide better protection for the Somali coast and combat the scourge of piracy. I fear that attacks on shipping and the hijacking of vessels, if allowed to continue unchecked, will have an adverse impact on the already dire humanitarian situation inside Somalia .”

Ambassador Fall urged the international community to redouble its humanitarian efforts for Somalia. By meeting humanitarian needs, the world community would ultimately provide the foundation for recovery, reconstruction and development.

“However, the most immediate challenge today in meeting these urgent humanitarian needs is access,” he said. “Problems of access have been compounded by the unstable and unpredictable environment that those providing humanitarian support have to face inside Somalia , particularly in the South/Central region. These factors continue to adversely affect humanitarian support as well as the prospects of human survival in this region. To address these challenges the humanitarian community has to work with the Somali authorities, at all levels, to ensure that humanitarian access is provided to the most vulnerable populations. “

Ambassador Fall said the United Nations was committed to supporting all efforts and initiatives to facilitate genuine dialogue and reconciliation in Somalia .

“While progress is being made internally towards dialogue, moving the political process forward will continue to require patience, persistence and perseverance on the part of all concerned,” Ambassador Fall said today.

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